The use of mobile appliances to interact with an internet by way of a session that mimics the experience of a user at a desktop is well known. A session is initiated by establishing a connection and invoking an application such as a browser through which all interaction is routed. Because bandwidth is limited in a busy mobile environment, data throughput can be slow and when added to the constraints imposed by a relatively small display area, the overall performance can be unsatisfactory. Improvements in the various technologies which aid in the processing of data for a desktop device have resulted in the user seeing the parent application screen almost instantaneously and this adds to the awareness that the mobile appliance system response is generally sluggish. The rapid refresh rates experienced by a desktop user are simply not common in a busy mobile network.
When using a mobile appliance, the user may need to move from the parent screen to other screens before locating the desired information. Displaying those screens can be time consuming. Further, the user may not know how to find the desired information efficiently, and it may be necessary to return to screens, including the parent screen, that the user has already viewed. Coupled with the lethargic transaction rate of mobile appliances, the process of finding desired information can be frustrating. Since charges for using a mobile appliance are often based on connection times rather than data volume, network latency imposes a substantial penalty on the user. The resulting user-dissatisfaction depresses use-rates and results in complaints to the service provider. This then further devalues the service and inhibits growth.
In the early days of cellular telephony, call set-up was done manually by placing a call to a mobile operator who would place the requested call and then call back the originating mobile appliance. Early automatic systems were simple and network performance was inhibited to the point where waiting times, during which the channel was held, were intolerable. Charges which accrued based on connection time resulted in outcry from users. Temporary solutions involved mirroring the mobile operator actions with off-air call set-up. This then freed up the channel during the holding or idle waiting time for use by other customers. A partial resolution was achieved by setting up the call at the same time that a voice channel was being assigned. At about the same time, network equipment was reaching more acceptable speeds of operation.
This operational latency problem resembles the inconveniences experienced by existing mobile data users, and so if a solution that resembled off-air call set-up could be developed, the latency and of course the lost holding time in the case of a dedicated channel application, could be greatly improved. However, solutions resembling the voice case above are not practical because server latencies are not within the control or even influence of the service provider.
In addition to the operational latency problem, user difficulties stemming from a complicated menu structure for mobile appliances have prevented users from making full use of their mobile appliances. As evidence of the complexity, most user manuals now occupy more volume than the product they describe, and are often difficult or time consuming to understand. Furthermore, with the exception of normal telephone function and text messaging, users are disinclined to experiment with their communications devices for fear of incurring large unexpected charges or somehow damaging or incapacitating the device. Consequently, service providers find it difficult to deliver a broad range of services because of the user's unwillingness to spend time to learn how to use the various features of their appliance. Because the service provider relies heavily on the ability to sell services in its business, the desire for a very simple user-interaction-system such as a menu-free interface is high.
Graphical interfaces go a long way to solving this problem but a user is often required to switch operating modes in order to switch between applications. Though less of a hurdle, such switching is not user-friendly and leads to confusion.